This course is the first part of a four part series covering the history of the United States.  Each part will be divided into 12 week sessions.   You can take all four parts, or each separately.  At the start of each one,  I will give a summary of the history covered in the prior courses

Part I  The beginning to adoption of the Constitution(1789)
This is the first part of a four-part series on the History of the United States.  It will cover the European motives to explore,  the discovery of the new world, early North American settlements,  the emergence of the 13 colonies,  the Revolution, and crafting the Constitution.  Emerging from this study will be two themes that will permeate much of our study:  freedom and slavery.  We will look at the introduction of slavery into North America, and its early development.  Alongside of this will be the early yearnings to be free and to govern ourselves.

Specifically,  we will start the course with European poverty, the new ways of thinking of the 16th and 17th centuries found in the Enlightenment, and the resulting move to compete with the Italians.  Once the new world is discovered,  the English will try to establish settlements there with disastrous results, initially.  In time, however, with the discovery of a milder form of tobacco,  successful colonies will be established, and we will explore what made them so with a special examination of the introduction of slavery into North America and the Carribean Islands.  But, that success will start them on the path to revolution, and we will discuss the development of colonial governments, trade, and commerce within a mercantile system.  The French and Indian War, ending in 1763, will signal a major shift in British attitude towards it American colonies, and we will examine the consequences of it to include the Stamp Act of 1765,  The Declaratory Act, and the Boston Tea Party.  We will pay special attention to the colonial grievances against Great Britain and discuss their legitimacy.  We will then consider the Revolutionary War and the role key role George Washington played in the colonies' ultimate victory.  We will discuss several key battles, such as the ones at Trenton,  Saratoga, and Yorktown, and why they were significant.  Finally,  we will spend  time looking at post-war America, and spend a class or two examining the new Constitution and the Bill of Rights, especially the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.

As part of the course students will write a weekly  one or two page paper essay on topics that will emerge from the lectures.  The purpose of this is,  of course,  to measure how well they have learned the material,  but more significantly,  I want to help them learn how to critically evaluate evidence and then write an argument or paper using that evidence to support it. Spelling, grammar, and style will be examined.  After teaching history for 15 years and practicing law for 38 years,  I have found that developing a skill in critically thinking and expressing oneself is perhaps more important that what is learned.  Through the written assignments,  this course will help the student acquire the talent of writing clearly, succinctly, and persuasively.

Each part of this 4 part series will meet once each week for 50-60 minutes and will last 12 weeks.  Time will be devoted to discussion of the day's lesson at the end of the class.  Two projects involving compiling the student’s family history and visiting a local historical site will be assigned.